Saturday, November 22, 2014

Brace yourselves as we delve into the world of vileness, vitriol, and the self-hatred of loud underachievers (aka, "blogging clowns")...and a pig.

First some background. On Saturday, 11/15, the Neighborhood Association Presidents Council (NAPC) and NAPC President Mary Lindsey hosted the 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Banquet celebrating the success of the NAPC and the individual neighborhood contributions. The event was wildly successful. You can read about it here.

It didn't go unnoticed by most of the attendees, who had a great time by the way, that there was an absence of certain people belonging to one particular neighborhood association. Specifically that would be any member of the ROLO neighborhood association, a constant critic of the Lake Worth neighborhood initiatives. I am sure they got the memo and were made aware of the event. Surely someone from the extreme southwestern part of the city could have made it there. Perhaps we could indeed have broken bread together on our knees.

The Lake Worth Herald's "Pelican Pete" on 11/20 had some thoughts on this snubbing by ROLO of the NAPC Thanksgiving Dinner, Pelican Pete wrote: "What a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at South Shores...all of the...uh...most of the neighborhoods in Lake Worth were represented...seems one of the Neighborhood Associations doesn't play well with others...they don't even play well with themselves...so few purport to speak for so many...shame."

Fast forward to yesterday, Friday 11/21, at the Evening on the Avenues in downtown Lake Worth. Even though it was a rainy night there was barely a spot to park anywhere in the downtown. Groups of people were all over the downtown despite the rain. My observation was this: many came to the downtown for the Evening on the Avenues, walked through the venue and then sought refuge in our restaurants and bars for a bit to return for the entertainment in the Cultural Plaza later in the evening.

Now for The Other Blogger (TOB), the one that simmers in bitter pickle juice most days, it would be good therapy for her to attend the NAPC Banquet. Getting her out in public, interacting with other neighbors and sharing the great repast. Instead, she declined for reasons unknown. A ticket was reserved for her at South Shores. That didn't stop her from posting this on her blog at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 11/21, this screen grab is from a friend's phone:

The image above is hard to decipher. Patience please as things now get very interesting. I called another friend to go to TOB's blog and capture the "NAPC slop" picture. She called me back to tell me there was no "NAPC slop" picture on Anderson's blog but she did send me some screen grabs of the blog. Here is one:

When I got home retrieved the original screen image and enhanced it with some software. Here is the enhanced image of the original above:

You see, at some time between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Lynn Anderson posted this offensive image of lipstick-on-a-pig, along with some choice words about "eating slop" by certain of her "betters." But then, almost as quickly, she then deleted it from her blog. Why?

For some reason Lynn Anderson posted an image on her blog citing NAPC President Mary Lindsey as "Eating the Slop", along with some unnamed commissioners and staff. If Lynn Anderson has such strong feelings about Mary Lindsey why would she publish this image at 4:00 p.m. and remove it at 7:00 p.m.? Did Lynn Anderson feel "guilty" perhaps? Perhaps it was a strange warming in her heart? Maybe it grew ten times its size that day? Why would TOB publish an offensive image and then delete it? Is she embarrassed? Ashamed? Or is she turning over a new leaf? Doubt the latter. But we can hope.

People living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, then pick them up and claim it never happened.

If you live in Palm Beach be very careful about removing those ficus hedges. It could cost you a lot of money. As Alese Kopf reports in the Shiny Sheet, click title for link:

The $250-a-day fine began Aug. 1, 2012, and accrued until March 13, 2013. That’s when Propp received Architectural Commission approval to buffer her office building with fishtail palms and install a 4-foot high fence. The project passed town inspection.Propp said she removed the hedge because its roots were causing leaks to the building’s garage and threatening its structural integrity. She was told she didn’t need a building permit but was unaware she needed approval from the Architectural Commission, she said.Masciarella argued Thursday that the fine should only have run from Aug. 1, 2012, to Sept. 13, 2012. He said Lead Code Enforcement Officer Rob Walton unlawfully fined his client an extra 179 days for the amount of time it took to install the fence, which was not a part of the original notice of violation or fine.No fence was on the property originally, but Propp decided to amend the commission application for the fishtail palms to include a fence for security. The commission approved the addition.

The owner of the property also has a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of residents sitting on a code enforcement board, issuing fines and indirectly benefiting from that due to reduced property taxes caused by issuance and collection of fines. Good luck with that one.

Some very unhappy residents in the Northwood neighborhood of West Palm Beach. Eliot Kleinberg reports some are unhappy not being part of the new city "Arts and Entertainment" trolley. I don't blame them. Here from the Kleinberg article, click title for link:

When West Palm Beach introduced, with great fanfare, its “Arts and Entertainment District” on Nov. 13, the new program included a trolley that looped to the Norton Museum, Kravis Center, Clematis Street bars, CityPlace restaurants and even over to the town of Palm Beach.But the Northwood neighborhood is out of the loop.“Naturally, this made the Northwood Village merchants quite concerned,” Jon Ward, executive director of the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, said in a memo in advance of a meeting Friday of the CRA’s advisory board for the city’s north end.Ward said he’s working with the Downtown Development Authority to add the shopping, dining and entertainment district north of downtown, which is a linchpin of the planned revitalization of both that area and the Broadway and Currie Park corridors.

From Julie Unger at the Town-Crier Online (click title for link), we have this story about the new Palm Beach State College campus to be built in Loxahatchee Groves:

“This is the day that we’ve all been waiting for,” he [Palm Beach State College President Dr. Dennis Gallon] said.“It is certainly a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to say ‘good afternoon and welcome’ to each of you for taking the time to come to help us celebrate this milestone in the life of the college.”The 75-acre campus site is located at the northwest corner of Southern Blvd. and B Road.As Gallon looked around, he encouraged attendees to look at the environment and made a point to reassure them that the land is not just going to be plowed over for development.“This is an incredible piece of property,” he said. “It has some three wetlands, it has cypress trees that are part of those wetlands, and ladies and gentleman, I want to let you know that we have included in our master plan — the master plan that has been approved by the board of trustees and that we have shared with the town council — we are assuring each of you in this community that we want to preserve those to be a part of the campus environment that we are creating here.”

Big news for West Palm Beach, our good neighbors and friends to the immediate north of Lake Worth. Click title for link. Here is a breaking news story from Palm Beach Post reporters Alexandra Clough and Eliot Kleinberg:

Reyes Holdings, a Chicago-area food and beer distribution giant, is opening a headquarters office in West Palm Beach, a major deal that boost’s the city’s image as a home for big companies. With $23 BILLION IN REVENUES [emphasis added], Reyes Holdings is ranked 12th on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies
In October, Reyes Holdings quietly signed a lease for 16,000 square feet in the Class A Phillips Point office complex, at 777 South Flagler Drive. Reyes Holdings will take the 15th floor in the west tower, which formerly was occupied by FTI Consulting. Plans are to be in the space by Jan. 1, said Jones Lang LaSalle vice president Kevin McCarthy, who represented Reyes in the deal.

[And later in the article...]

The Reyes Holdings’ lease is a coup for West Palm Beach, which has been seeking to attract more financial and corporate tenants to downtown. The deal also is in line with other companies that have RELOCATED TO FLORIDA FROM HIGHER-TAX STATES [emphasis added], such as Illinois and New York.
“This is a real testament to the benefits we know West Palm Beach offers the private sector,” Mayor Jeri Muoio said in a statement. “From no income taxes to the prestige of our Flagler Financial District, we’re are seeing more and more companies RELOCATE TO OUR CITY [emphasis added].”

Now, these executives and office-workers have to live and shop somewhere. Let's hope they discover the welcoming arms of our Lake Worth, quirky as it is!

Re-Post - this is getting a lot of attention, originally from late October.
Yesterday, I pointed my compass north for business purposes and happened to have my camera with me. It had been a while since being in that part of the county and ended up getting off at the Donald Ross exit. If you head east on Donald Ross Road, you will pass by the Abacoa development on the north side of the road. This is where Roger Dean Stadium (Palm Beach County's current location for spring training facilities for major league baseball), as well as a branch of Florida Atlantic University.

It turns out that just to the east of Abacoa are the headquarters for Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Institute. Both of these facilities were products of state and local economic development efforts to create a base for biotech research facilities in Palm Beach County. Having never seen this campus environment before, I took the following pictures.

From time to time I report on the antics of Anarchist-EarthFirst leaders Cara Jennings and Panagioti Tsolkas. Now and then I get queries from my readers about this legendary "Briger Forest." Questions as "Where is it?", "What's the big deal?", etc. I thought, well, I'm in the area, why not visit the legendary Briger "Forest" and take a few pictures?

So, just to the south of Donald Ross Road is another piece of property known as the "Briger Tract" of about 700 acres. It is largely undeveloped at this time, but is slated for a mixed use development project that would include residential, commercial and uses related to further development associated with the Scripps Florida facility. Here is the general layout of this part of the county:

Hood Road runs along the south side of the Briger parcel, ending at I-95. There is already some development along the southern and eastern edges of the property. The Mandel Jewish Community Center, located at the #1 above, takes up the southwestern corner of the property. It is a newer building that backs up to I-95 and its parking area runs alongside the building to the east. There is also an equestrian facility immediately east of the Community Center that goes further north into the Briger property. Here is a picture of a small portion of the horse stables and grounds.

Below are pictures from Grandiflora Road denoted by the number '2' on the map above. Note the menacing sign for people thinking of trespassing! Apparently, Grandiflora Road is going to be extended in the near future. This also happens to be the campus for the Upper Benjamin School and they have some major construction projects ongoing, including a new theater, I was told.

Sign posted at the current western end of Grandiflora Road. We know why.

Notice of the possibility of the presence of the threatened Eastern Indigo Snake and related instructions if encountered in the area.

As you can see, the Briger 'Forest' is east of I-95. There are many places like Briger that can be used for homes, condos and apartments to accommodate our new residents flooding the state of Florida. Tracts as Briger and many others would put less pressure on developers as they proceed westward. One example of those western projects is the Minto West development currently under consideration by the County Commission.

There are also a number of gated communities along the eastern side of the property, along the west side of Central Boulevard.

Thus ends a little peek at part of the county that you may not be familiar with, but others in our city are.

These are the seven habits/traits of the chronically unhappy. Click title for link to details. Sound familiar?

1. Your default belief is that life is hard.2. You believe most people can't be trusted.3. You concentrate on what's wrong in this world versus what's right.4. You compare yourself to others and harbor jealousy.5. You strive to control your life.6 You consider your future with worry and fear.7. You fill your conversations with gossip and complaints.

A few days ago posted a story from Jose Lambiet's Gossip Extra on a preservation drama going on in Palm Beach. The builder hired to do the 'construction' made some videos and posted them to Facebook. To say he regrets doing that is an understatement. Yesterday he appeared before the Landmarks Commission to explain himself. Again, this is not a situation in which you wish to find yourself before a historic preservation board. This is from the Shiny Sheet's David Rogers on their meeting yesterday and the builders explanation:

During the meeting, Cooley [Chairman William Cooley] had staff show video clips Rossi [builder John Rossi] made documenting construction progress for owner Chuck Schumacher. In two clips Rossi had posted to Facebook, he jokes about the home’s condition.“Here’s your house. Ain’t much left of it,” Rossi said with a chuckle. “Just a few feet. It is what it is, buddy. All for you.”Rossi apologized for how he described the project in the clips.“It’s my nature to be comical,” he said. “I did this job on a fixed (price) contract and I am just trying to kill the pain with humor. I didn’t mean to offend anybody.”Rossi apologized for removing the 20-foot section without the town’s approval on Sept.2 but said the demolition was needed to protect workers’ lives. After crews cut windows into the second floor of the home’s front section, a doorway there ripped apart, Rossi said.

The editorial addresses the planned new street proposed for 7th Avenue South west of the new La Joya CRA project. The 'road' is now a dirt path. The city is finally using the unused Community Development Block Grant money that previous commissions ignored and worked with the county to construct a road. Months of work began that involved plans, drawings, city meetings, community meetings, that all culminated with the item placed on the Consent Agenda for the City Commission to approve, "by consent" on October 7th. You can read my report with accompanying pictures and a map here.

Then a 'thing' happened. At the very last opportunity after the City had done their due diligence a group assembled to monkeywrench the project claiming their voices were not listened to. This is after they failed to 'voice' their concerns at the previous city meetings. Note Commissioner McVoy was present at commission meetings where this project was discussed.

Now for a few excerpts from the Lake Worth Herald editorial that has some unraveling at the seams:

It is time the commission accepts these few who come to commission meetings to gripe are going to be there to complain no matter what the issue is. The time has come for the commission to begin ignoring the few and serve the greater, most of whom don't attend commission meetings because they have put their faith in the elected officials and the process of government. These are the ones who will speak at the polls, they will either vote to re-elect based on performance or not re-elect, again based on performance. It is not a commissioner's job to please everyone, it is their job to use sound judgment in the decision making process.

[Later in editorial...]

Commissions who have pandered to the vocal minority through the years have put Lake Worth in the condition it is in.
Once a decision is made, this commission needs to have the backbone to move forward and not let those who ignored the meetings on issues until a decision was made, interfere after the fact and delay progress. If they don't show their concerns when the items are being considered, they should not have a special meeting, scheduled just for them, which costs the city additional money.
The roadways and greenways went through a number of workshops and district meetings, attended by none of those who appeared after the fact. Staff had engineering work done and plans drawn according to desires of those who took the initiative to attend the workshops and give their input. Now, comes the circus crowd, led by one commissioner, wanting to redraw all of the plans, which would cause the city to have to repay the county about 50 thousand dollars in engineering fees. The "Johnny come lately" tactic is just one of the ways they keep stalling progress, and should no longer be catered to.

Visit the LWHerald.com to read the entire editorial and the clever musings of our Pelican Pete on the circus crowd's "battery in the lake."

"Protesters apologized, saying they meant solely to target the forest."

Quote from reporter Tony Doris of the Palm Beach Post in this article, click title for link.

Which begs the question, when is an apology not actually an apology? Which protesters "apologized" to the parents and children who were severely inconvenienced by Everglades Earth First (EEF) on November 7 at the Mandell Jewish Community Center? We don't know because the "apology" was attributed to no one and their actions affected almost everyone in the area. Individually, hand-written letters to each parent, student and administrator would be a start. Or, another alternative would be something like this written one thousand times on blackboards at the school, "I will never blockade an entrance to a school."

It appears that Panagioti Tsolkas' EEF made more mistakes than just throwing a battery into a lake polluting the environment and potentially crippling a Green Indigo snake, perhaps making it an electric eel. He also was unaware that the law looks unfavorably on terrorizing young children where they go to school. And...he was apparently unaware that the driver of the van is considered complicit in the protest, which made for three arrests instead of two. Now the charges against the protesters go to the level of a "breach of peace by three or more persons".

In the article, a future protest is referenced on December 5 near the Briger Tract. I plan on going and you can join me if you wish. We'll make it a picnic. Here is the Facebook page with the details. I'll bring the finger sandwiches.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

No video here, but Channel 12 gets a little carried away with explaining this new ordinance and paints the City Attorney as the bad guy. They also mention the ACLU, again. Click title for link. This news is a week old, too. Always beware when you read the following: "CBS 12’s is investigating..."

Larry Aydlette of the quickpulse blog reports this, click title for link:

According to TGIF local music columnist Bill Meredith, downtown Lake Worth’s fabled emporium of live music, the Bamboo Room, may reopen. But nothing is final.This is what Meredith writes in his upcoming Friday column:Great news for local music fans: The owners of the Bamboo Room in Lake Worth are in discussions to sell the club, and it would stay largely intact in name, booking and decor. More details as a new opening date approaches, likely in early 2015.

Reflecting on his years as a county commissioner and the reason former-County Commissioner did not show up at the county commission meeting yesterday, Santamaria had these pleasant, conciliatory words as reported in the Palm Beach Post, click title for link:

“For me to just sit there and hear all of the comments from the incoming commissioner and the incoming mayor, I did not feel it needed my half-hour drive to and from West Palm Beach. Mine was a minor role that really did not warrant my presence,” he told The Palm Beach Post.Santamaria said he watched the meeting on TV.“You know and I know that I don’t get along with most of the county commissioners and they don’t like me,” he said.Attending the meeting would have created “another potential topic for somebody to say something to create controversy. There was no purpose for me to be there,” Santamaria said.

From William Kelly at the Shiny Sheet (click title for link), we have this about a possible change coming to Palm Beach concerning the approval threshold to combat the high number of variances being issued on the Island. From the article by Kelly:

The Planning and Zoning Commission is recommending that the five-member council raise the threshold for those approvals to four votes from three.Commissioners have said too many variances are being approved, which they say erodes zoning protections, especially for parking requirements.The four-vote or supermajority recommendation also was triggered by the failed Royal Poinciana Way zoning initiative, Commissioner Michael Scharf has said. The council approved the controversial zoning change with three votes; voters then shot it down in a hotly contested referendum in March.Scharf, who is challenging incumbent Michael Pucillo in the Feb. 3 town election, has said a higher approval threshold would encourage council members to work harder toward compromise.

ABC News reports about instigators and outside agitators following the Grand Jury report in Ferguson, MO, click title for link:

As the nation waits to hear whether a Missouri police officer will face charges for killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the FBI is warning law enforcement agencies across the country that the decision “will likely” lead some extremist protesters to threaten and even attack police officers or federal agents. Peaceful protesters could be caught in the middle, and electrical facilities or water treatment plants could also become targets. In addition, so-called “hacktivists” like the group “Anonymous” could try to launch cyber-attacks against authorities.“The announcement of the grand jury’s decision … will likely be exploited by some individuals to justify threats and attacks against law enforcement and critical infrastructure,” the FBI says in an intelligence bulletin issued in recent days. “This also poses a threat to those civilians engaged in lawful or otherwise constitutionally protected activities.”The FBI bulletin expresses concern only over those who would exploit peaceful protests, not the masses of demonstrators who will want to legitimately, lawfully and collectively express their views on the grand jury’s decision.

The bulletin “stresses the importance of remaining aware of the protections afforded to all U.S. persons exercising their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.”

ABC News references the 'Hacktavist' group "Anonymous". Very recently in Fort Lauderdale the group 'Anonymous' has threatened the city of Fort Lauderdale. You can see the 'Anonymous' video below. The message by 'Anonymous' begins at the 1:10 mark on the video.

(West Palm Beach, Florida) -- At today's meeting, Palm Beach County Commissioners joined the statewide marriage equality debate by voting 6-1 to sign on to a court brief opposing Florida's constitutional ban on same-sex-marriage. The action was taken at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, a local non-profit organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.Commissioner Hal R. Valeche, a Republican from Palm Beach Gardens, cast the sole "no" vote.The brief, initially filed by the cities of Miami Beach and Orlando in June, argues that in addition to bringing legal, financial and psychological harm to families, marriage inequality makes it difficult for the governments to recruit talented employees and hurts tourism."There should be no room in the Florida Constitution for the discriminatory marriage ban," said Palm Beach County Human Rights Council President Rand Hoch. "By signing on to the brief, the Palm Beach County Commissioners are acknowledging that the marriage ban is harmful to Floridians and is detrimental to the efficiency and effectiveness of Palm Beach County as a public employer." Today's vote puts Palm Beach County on the opposite side of a legal battle in which Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi continues to defend the marriage ban in several pending appeals in state and federal court. While several state attorneys general across the nation have declined to spend taxpayer dollars to defend the marriage bans which have been declared unconstitutional, Bondi remains steadfast in her efforts to use public funds to preserve the state's discriminatory ban on same-sex marriages.In addition to the Cities of Miami Beach and Orlando, Broward and Orange Counties, the cities of Gainesville, St. Petersburg, Tampa and Wilton Manors and the Village of Biscayne Park have also signed on to the brief.On November 24, West Palm Beach City Commissioners will consider signing on to the marriage equality brief

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Today is a very good day for Lake Worth. Palm Beach County Commissioner Shelley Vana was elected Mayor of the PBC Commission. Mayor Vana has been very supportive of our City of Lake Worth and the hard work our City is doing to turn things around. This can only be looked at as a very positive development.

If you live west of I-95 though, you might have cause for concern. The other blogger, who lives on Lake Osborne Drive, has written some terrible things about Shelley Vana. These include some of the following. If you are a devotee of her blog, do you think:

Here are some images from the other blog (she loves it when I do this):

If you disagree with the other blogger, I encourage you to write Mayor Shelley Vana and let her know. Here is the Mayor's email address. LINK: svana@pbcgov.org Don't let Lynn Anderson be your voice at the Palm Beach County Commission.

Click title for link to the latest preservation drama happening in Palm Beach. This is a serious matter and there are many issues at play here. The article is by Jose Lambiet, who is a gossip columnist, so keep that in mind. In short, a wall in a landmarked estate on Palm Beach that wasn't supposed to come down as part of the renovation, ended up coming down. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the after-the-fact demolition based upon testimony that the structure was unsound and dangerous for workers.

Then videos showed up (included in link), taken by the contractor, that seem to mock the fact that the wall was coming down as it came down. If anyone wants an abject example of what not to do in this situation, this is it. Now they are talking about the possibility of these videos being played before the Landmarks Commission.

Jan Sjostrom reports on the Panama Canal exhibit at the Flagler Museum. Click title for link. Of course, the Panama Canal is in the news again as it is being widened to allow passage of super-transport ships. Many ports in Florida are being improved to accommodate the larger vessels. But this exhibit looks at its beginnings:

The show, which was organized by the museum, covers the lead-up to the American takeover, the massive construction project, life in the Canal Zone during construction and the public’s fascination with the undertaking.Objects used to tell the story include photographs, memorabilia, sheet music, maps, enlarged postcards, a Panama hat and workers’ ID badges. There’s also a sailor’s letter describing the American fleet’s first voyage through the canal and a 1919 film giving a boat’s-eye view of the trip.IF YOU GOWhat: “Kiss of the Oceans: The Meeting of the Atlantic and the Pacific”When: Through Jan 4Where: Flagler MuseumFor information: Call 655-2833 or visit flaglermuseum.us

Very interesting story from William Kelly at the Shiny Sheet, click title for link. The Palm Beach Architectural Commission rejected the construction of a house because it was "too dissimilar" to adjacent houses. The ordinance also reads that new structures cannot be too similar to those in the immediate area. This can be a hard needle to thread. Unfortunately, it is regulations such as these that give appointed boards the authority to be "taste police." The results should be interesting as this lawsuit makes it through the courts. Personally, I like this modern style of architecture and there is a place for it in Palm Beach. In fact, there are many examples throughout the town, just not in this particular area. Read an excerpt here:

Attorney Paul Rampell and his wife Rita filed suit Wednesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court asking a judge to overturn the council’s reversal of the Architectural Commission’s approval of plans for the new, single-family home at 237 Ridgeview Drive.
In the lawsuit, the Rampells contend that the council improperly considered new evidence at its hearing, rather than limiting its review to the evidence presented at the commission hearing, as required by town law. The commission’s 4-3 vote of approval occurred Aug. 27.
The Rampells also filed suit in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, asking a judge to declare unconstitutional sections of town law pertaining to its architectural code. They argue in the suit that the town is vague and overly broad, and therefore deprived them of their right to due process and equal protection under the law.
On Oct. 15, the council voted 3-2 in favor of a town board chairman’s appeal of the Architectural Commission approval. William Cooley, an El Pueblo Way resident and chairman of the Landmarks Preservation Commission, argued that the Rampell house was excessively dissimiliar from the other homes in the neighborhood.

I am on the board of a professional planning organization and we are looking at revamping our website. There is one choice being offered that is used by some municipalities. This is a WordPress template which of course needs to be populated with relevant data according to the end user, but try this link. See what you think and imagine the City of Lake Worth website with this template. I think some have been disappointed with the "remake" of the website from a few years ago. I might add that this revamp to our organization's website is costing less than $3,000. And the group that happens to be doing it for us is in Palm Beach County, at least.

A terrible story, click title for link, about a young girl who was hit by a vehicle and lost her life. A tragedy and everyone's hearts go out to the family involved. No one wants to see a story like this but Channel 5 (WPTV) was there and reported on what little there was to see at the time. It's a reminder to be careful out there.

The title for the story cited the accident occurred in "Lake Worth". The text for the story cited the accident happened in "Lake Worth". The on air reporter said the accident occurred in "Lake Worth".

The accident DID NOT occur in Lake Worth. The accident happened in SUBURBAN LAKE WORTH. Note the map below. Of the TV news the only one I watch is WPTV and for the most part their reporting is accurate and responsible. Now and then I do a primer for the news media, both TV and print, on the difference between the City of Lake Worth and unincorporated "Lake Worth". It is very important to be accurate.

We need to find a better way to differentiate the city from areas of the unincorporated Palm Beach County. Is a name change a possible fix?

Today is supposed to be the day they begin demolition of the A.G. Holley Hospital building. Other buildings on the property are already being torn down. The state of Florida recently sold the property to a Miami developer who is planning a mixed use project for the site. Click title for link for video and additional details.

Monday, November 17, 2014

In a spirit of neighborliness, it's wonderful how we in Lake Worth are able to come together to help others in a time of need. It's just part of our DNA to go the extra mile for our Lake Worth friends. As you know, our westerly neighbors near Lake Osborne have a neighborhood association, one of the more active community neighborhood associations. Their name used to be the "Residents of Lake Osborne Heights" or ROLOH.

Recently they changed their name from ROLOH to ROLO. ROLO stands for Residences Of Lake Osborne. Here is their old banner:

I tapped the talents of a renown local graphic artist, in LW of course. Below is the design she is currently working on. They were kind enough to send a "rough draft, working version" which they were so kind to share. We'd like to open this contest up to other amateurs and professionals in the field as a challenge. This is the first edition of the revised logo.

Note the bird has been changed to the Common Loon, but this is the rare "ranting" variety. This addition seems to be a good marriage between the animal kingdom and our human realities. The real design challenge is the change from "Residents", a word with 9 letters to "Residences", a word with 10 letters! It's a reminder of how such a small change can be SO significant in meaning, and then present such thorny design implications. We land in the world of unintended consequences. It is a long word and visually overpowers the following two words. One idea was to 'arc' the word "Residences" but that looks awkward. The person who put tireless efforts into this version is still working on that possibility, among others. Thank goodness for the endless opportunities made available through Photoshop software.

So, a callout to our Lake Worth graphic design professionals! Help us squeeze the extra letter in the logo to make an aesthetically pleasing whole. Right now, we're not satisfied with the first, initial try. We await other versions that can overcome these design challenges.

In last week's issue of the Lake Worth Herald (11/13), there is an editorial titled, "Take Charge", that deserves a read. To comment exhaustively in one post on this blog would be very long and some very important points may be overlooked. "The Other Blogger" (TOB) was swift and true to form in her response. The editorial in the Herald apparently hit a nerve and TOB, responded that our city commission and mayor were being "fascists", called the commission "pathetic", and employing "a heinous and shocking abuse of power."

For a moment let's take a step back. The editorial in the Herald is specifically addressing the tactics used by Commissioner McVoy, Cara Jennings (former commissioner/anarchist), and some other "neighbors" to scuttle, or at least re-design at a very late stage, a proposed new road for 7th Ave South near the new La Joya Villages CRA project. I'll discuss the political tactics and specifics being used by what the Herald calls the "vocal minority" later in the week.

TOB, in order to deflect the editorial's effectiveness and factual points uses Peter Timm as an example of the city commission not "LISTENING to what the people have to say". On 9/6/14 the city commission had a special meeting to let city residents tell of their experiences at the polls for the bond referendum. Mayor Pam Triolo explicitly explained to the public the results of the vote was not on the agenda, only voters' experiences and observations at the polls on that day (August 26th). Here is Peter Timm at that meeting in one of his last appearances before "retiring" from commission meetings.

As you can see, TOB considers this an example of proper public discourse, decorum, and freedom of speech at its finest. And TOB likes to point out the sheriff deputy who walked toward the podium was trying to stop free speech, as you can see the deputy did not interfere with Mr. Timm speaking. His biggest problem was being next to TOB. The deputy, as many others in the chambers, did sense that things were about to get out of control and his presence calmed the situation.

To deal with our "vocal minority" and the "circus crowd" the Lake Worth Herald offers this advice:

"Lantana, Greenacres, Palm Springs and the other communities surrounding Lake Worth don't have the same problems Lake Worth does. One of the main reasons is because they have their meetings, debate the issues, compromise and vote. They don't go backwards to re-visit their decisions because a few people don't like what they decided. They have learned to ignore the detractors.
Lake Worth needs to take a page from their books and keep moving forward."

To read the entire editorial visit LWHerald.com. Visit my blog later this week for more on this weeks Herald editorial.

Dennis DeZeeuw, with Sustainscape, Inc., reviewed a landscape project involving one of Lake Worth's historic, single family residential properties. You can see the actual results at the southeast corner of North Lakeside and 13th Avenue North. Here is Dennis' business card:

Jeff Nurge was the second speaker at the "Right Tree Right Place" talk last Thursday night. He walked the audience through a Florida native tree book and talked about the advantages and disadvantages of various species in a typical residential lawn situation. He also answered many questions from those in attendance.

This is the introduction and first speaker from last Thursday evening's event at the Lake Worth Public Library. About 42 people attended and the presentation was part of the regular Lake Worth Tree Board meeting. In this presentation, we see how Kristi Moyer helped consult new homeowners through the NSP2 program about appropriate native and Florida friendly plantings and trees. She also answers many questions during her presentation.

Click here for the Tampa Bay Times political "Buzz" article that reveals a highly interesting story of a vote by Congressman Patrick Murphy on the Keystone pipeline:

Rep. Patrick Murphy of Jupiter was the lone Florida Democrat to join this afternoon with Republicans in approving the Keystone pipeline.Murphy has shown a willingness to cross the aisle at times and it's paid off; he cruised to re-election despite starting the cycle as one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country.

Congress inched closer Friday to a possible showdown with President Barack Obama over the Keystone XL oil pipeline as the Republican-controlled House approved the project. Supporters in the Democratic-run Senate predicted they will get the 60 votes needed to pass it next week.The House vote was 252-161 in favor of the bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in an effort to boost his chances to take a Louisiana Senate seat away from Democrat Mary Landrieu. The two are headed for a Dec. 6 runoff and have been touting their energy credentials in the oil and gas-producing state.Should the Senate send the bill to Obama for his signature, he would face a decision that pits some of his environmental concerns about the pipeline, mainly its consequences for global warming, against potentially helping a fellow Democrat making a longshot bid to retain her Senate seat.The House bill was supported by 221 Republicans, with not a single GOP lawmaker voting against it. Thirty-one Democrats backed the bill, while 161 rejected it.

Click title for link to article. Staffers for the Palm Beach Post won seven first-, second- or third-place awards Saturday night in the Florida Press Club’s 2014 Excellence in Journalism Competition. The awards were announced at a banquet in Stuart.

Kleinberg, Mark Buzek and Jeff Sterling placed second in online packages for their online presentation of “the Forgotten 14,” the previously untold tale of 14 military men killed in a 1943 plane crash near what’s now Palm Beach International Airport.

More information about the large beach re-nourishment project being done along the coast of Jupiter. Click title for link. From the article:

The beach south of Jupiter Inlet should be about 50 feet wider by the end of March.That’s when the hauling and spreading of about 300,000 cubic yards of sand is expected to be done on the 1-mile stretch from the inlet to the south end of Carlin Park. Sea oats will be planted to hold sand dunes in place.The $10 million project is being split by Palm Beach County and the Army Corps of Engineers. The work started last week and must be done by March when sea turtle nesting season begins.“New sand is badly needed. There’s been lots of erosion lately. Rocks are exposed, especially at Carlin Park. Lifeguards could break an ankle making a rescue. It’s dangerous for swimmers,” said county Ocean Rescue Lifeguard Larry Russell.

From Tanvi Misra at CityLab we have this article, click title for link, that has particular relevance to south Florida and Lake Worth particularly. Demographer William Frey is the expert cited in the piece called, "March of the Non-White Babies": Here is a short excerpt:

The share of so-called "new minorities"—Hispanics, Asians and multi-racial groups in America—is going to double. If your first guess is that this is all due to immigration, you're not entirely wrong—it's because of past immigration. What's really driving the growth now (and will continue to do so in the future) is that majority of the immigrants who are already here are at the baby-making age.
"Back in the 1950s, we had a lot of Americans across the board in their childbearing years—we had all these babies," Frey explains. "Now, that's really only the case for some of the newer minorities."
This is good news, demographically speaking, because as it turns out, the white population in the U.S. is aging pretty rapidly. This surge in minority births will arrive just in time to pick up the slack, Frey says. Absent any major change in immigration policy, the future of the American labor market will depend on the next generation of U.S.-born minorities.

These you would call problems experienced by communities that have turned things around and have had redevelopment take place to enliven their city. However, there is a downside to that in what made the city attractive for people to live in initially can be a fragile thing. In other words, you can have too much of a good thing. In Lake Worth, we have re-written our land development regulations in order to allow for sustainable and harmonious redevelopment, when it happens. We are only seeing the beginning of this here. But it is also important to point out that the regulations that are designed to limit growth and redevelopment cannot be a static thing. They must change over time to accommodate new realities. Delray Beach is experiencing that now.

This is what appeared on Facebook recently.DELRAY BEACH is at a crossroads. Hailed by the press as the "it city" of South Florida, Delray has attracted numerous developers with multi-million dollar projects, eager to invest in our thriving downtown. While Delray is fortunate to have so many interested suitors, the city has done an ineffective job of chaperoning these massive projects - leading to widespread discontent among its citizens. Despite petitions, protests, lawsuits, traffic studies, and historic designations, developers too often seem to have their way with Delray.This is why the proposed new Land Development Regulations (LDRs) for the Central Business District (CBD) are so crucial to the future of our downtown and the quality of life in our Village by the Sea. We desperately need a stricter set of guidelines so the city can actively manage development in our downtown, with strong and transparent rules governing height, density, parking, architecture and green space. There needs to be a lasting, consistent set of standards applied to every proposed project – we must replace the current management-by-exception “conditional use” program that encourages back room negotiations and the obvious influence of developer money on our city’s future.We applaud the efforts of Mayor Glickstein and Vice-Mayor Petrolia to cap our downtown at 4 stories (54 feet), and encourage the City Commission to finish the job. Make the proposed LDRs strong and complete enough to ensure truly responsible development. Not enough parking is required from developers of hotels, office space and restaurants. There are no restrictions on studios and one-bedroom apartments, which leads to a more transient population. Green space requirements have been scaled back from previous versions to allow for more density.Most worrisome is the proposed "bonus program," an opportunity for developers to work outside of the new LDRs in exchange for various amenities to the city. While well-intended, the bonus program is still a negotiated-exception program (like the current Conditional Use) – a continuation of the trade-offs, legal and political antics that led to the approval of Atlantic Crossing.We want to support meaningful changes to the LDRs, but there's still room for improvement here to better serve our city.We strongly encourage all residents to attend the first public hearing of the proposed LDRs for the downtown on Tuesday, November 18, starting at 7 pm, in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall. Public comment is invited - please speak up for the preservation and continued prudent growth of our downtown. Let's Develop Responsibly.[This post was sent to City Commission by e-mail]

Dear Friends and Neighbors,On behalf of the Neighborhood Association Presidents Council, Thank You to everyone who came out to celebrate our Neighborhoods at the NAPC 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Banquet last night. Karine Albano and the talented chefs and servers at South Shores Tavern were fabulous hosts to a packed house of Neighbors from all over the City. Celeste Governanti provided delicious pies for dessert and Mike Miller and Paul Millar re-created the awesome “turkey” veggie platter they introduced last year.Thanks to Marshall Pass who headed up the 50/50 raffle and raised $715 from our most generous guests. Congratulations to Madlyn McKendry who held the winning ticket! Proceeds from the raffle are being shared with the First Congregational Church and North Grade Elementary School, each of whom are hosting Thanksgiving dinners for the less fortunate in our City. A mountain of canned goods were also collected at the door, courtesy again of our thoughtful dinner guests!We were honored by the Electeds who came to share our feast; Mayor Pam Triolo, Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell and Commissioner John Szerdi along with West Palm Beach Commissioner, Shanon Materio. We thank Pastor Jason Fairbanks from the First Congregational Church who offered the blessing and Mel and Vinnie, who treated us all to a sing along with “It Feels Like Home To Me.” NAPC Vice Chair, Jon Faust kindly served as emcee for the evening.This was a celebration of our Lake Worth Family of Neighbors in gratitude for the many blessings we share throughout the year and in hope that our many challenges will continue to bring us together as we all work to make Lake Worth the city of Neighbors we can always be proud to call our home.Mary LindseyChair, Neighborhood Association Presidents Council